A large number of deaths are attributed each year to distracted driving in the United States. Many drivers are too busy texting, making phone calls, or reading (among other things) while driving their cars. If you listen to some people in Washington, the answer to fixing such driving stupidity are even more safety mandates.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wants collision-avoidance technology such as forward-collision and lane-departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, and automatic braking on every car sold in the U.S. These technologies are already available as options on many luxury cars currently on the market.

The problem on the consumer end of things is that these safety features are included in options packages that add $1,000 or more to the price of the vehicle. Automotive manufacturers oppose the NTSB because the added costs would spread to even the most basic automobiles on the market instead of being relegated to more expensive vehicles where buyers are more willing to fork over the money.

However, the NTSB believes that this sort of technology can help drivers improve reaction times and avoid crashes.

According to the NHTSA, systems such as the ones it's recommending would make a significant impact on reducing the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers. Accidents caused by distracted drivers account for 60% of highway fatalities.

"We have a chance to take a big bite into that figure," NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said.

The problem is it's all about "me".It's always how can I get to the exit first by cutting in front of anyone else. How can I get in front of you. You need to drive slower behind me because I can't handle switching lanes, so I stay in the left lane from entrance to exit.

Slow down just a bit next time and watch the cars that pass you. It is almost rediclious. I see on a three lane road, while I'm in the middle lane, cars roaring past on the left, as they get closer to the exit they need they move to the middle and then with the blinker on ASSUME someone SHOULD let them in so that they can make their exit. And someone will let them in. Rather then taking the empty spot that was behind the car that they just cut in front of they need to be in front of that car and make an a$$ of themselves and slow traffic for no reason!

quote: cars roaring past on the left, as they get closer to the exit they need they move to the middle and then with the blinker on ASSUME someone SHOULD let them in so that they can make their exit. And someone will let them in. Rather then taking the empty spot that was behind the car that they just cut in front of they need to be in front of that car and make an a$$ of themselves and slow traffic for no reason!

Your view of who is selfishly thinking "it's all about me" is a bit biased. There are slow-driving jerks just as there are fast-driving jerks. e.g. In the situation you describe, regardless of how the car in the next lane got in front of you, if a car ahead of you is signaling to get into your lane you're supposed to slow down to let them in. Yes you're correct that the guy is driving like a jerk and probably doesn't deserve to be let into your lane. But by preventing him from moving into your lane, you are slowing down everyone else behind him in his lane.

It's not about me, and it's not about you and me. It's about everyone else on the road. Just let the bastard in your lane so he can get off the road and out of everyone's hair, so traffic can return to a more consistent flow.

The problem IMHO is the U.S. lacks laws which promote gradients of speed in the different lanes. Everyone just "knows" that faster cars are supposed to be on the left, slower cars on the right. There's nothing that enforces this (other than trucks having a lower speed limit and being restricted to the two right-most lanes). Just signs without the force of law which suggest staying in the right lane except to pass. This creates a situation where some drivers feel people in their lane are going too slow, while simultaneously other drivers feel people in the exact same lane are going too fast. And the two groups start to rage against each other.

In Germany they have a couple simple laws which fix this. You are not allowed to pass on the right. And if you see a car approaching you from behind in your lane, you have to yield and move over to the right. It does a remarkably good job of keeping traffic flowing when there can be a 2:1 or greater difference in speed between the left-most and right-most lanes. That's the real goal here - keeping traffic flowing. Not who is driving too fast or too slow.

quote: In Germany they have a couple simple laws which fix this. You are not allowed to pass on the right. And if you see a car approaching you from behind in your lane, you have to yield and move over to the right. It does a remarkably good job of keeping traffic flowing when there can be a 2:1 or greater difference in speed between the left-most and right-most lanes. That's the real goal here - keeping traffic flowing. Not who is driving too fast or too slow.

In the usa passing on the right is also illegal, but not often enforced. Probably because the greater issue is we do not have laws like #2 there. The passing line is for PASSING, not the "fast" lane. If we enforced a "flash to move over law" we would have far more consistant traffic patterns. Those self righteous jerks illegally driving in the passing lane and at the same or slower speeds compared to the other lanes cause just as many accidents as the people who are forced to resort to illegal or aggressive tactics if they want to get around them. Ironically the more aggressive drivers tend to also be more attentive than the rest of the lemmings.

One problem,I have my cruise set and I'm trying to use the least amount of gas and NOT use my brakes so that the cars behind think they have to brake as well. Causes a slow down for no reason. You see I DO CONSIDER the other drivers around me!

It is not UP to me to let the jerk in. He should have forseen the problem not waited until the very end.

I will not slam on, or use my brakes to let someone get in front of me in my lane if there is no reason for it.

You sould like one of the ones I hate that brake to let mearging traffic in. The WRONG thing to do, and has become the norm, and pisses off a LOT OF DRIVERS including myself.Letting the guy in is just as bad as tailgating and last minute lane changes. Causes slow downs and then the guy 20 cars back seees brake lights, sees there's no reason for it gets mad and floors it around the slow down. A potention accident waiting to happen. EVERY driver has the ability to inflict an accident in the mass of cars on the road. Guess you can't se that!

I don't mind letting people in front of me usually. The ones that really get me hot are the ones that will pass me like I am sitting still then 100 yards ahead slam on the breaks and make a right hand turn! They could have just as easily slowed down behind and waited maybe two seconds more and made the turn with out having to make me slam on the brakes to avoid hitting them as they cut in front of me to turn.

The other people that irk me to no end are the ones where when you see a sign for road construction that clearly says, "One lane road ahead, merge now" and they run up beside a long line of vehicles and try to get people to let them in.

I agree, but im old age have learned to back off more, as I do not go over the speed limit for the most part, and typically leave extra room in front of me (3-4 seconds) for the idiots that feel it is daytona instead of a shared roadway.

As for the construction, some states have figured out a nice solution to this. I used to live in minnesota and they instituted the "zipper merge" several years ago, telling everybody to fill in both lanes when it is going down to one until the end, then take turns. This takes away the opportunity for the aholes to run up ahead of everybody, and actually keeps traffic flowing much better through those zones.